Nancy G. Karmazin

Nancy G. Karmazin, age 87, of Grosse Ile, Michigan died peacefully in her sleep on December 28, 2020 following a short battle with COVID-19. She was attempting rehabilitation from a prior illness at an assisted living facility in Clinton Township, Michigan during the time of her death. Nancy was a 59 year resident of Grosse Ile who had strong interests in journalism, history, civic engagement and nature conservation. Nancy was born on April 5, 1933 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Mr. and Mrs. James H. Gregory as the oldest child in the family. She attended St. Robert School junior high and Shorewood High School where Nancy graduated in 1951 as valedictorian of her class. She went on to earn a bachelor's degree in English from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. While attending Northwestern, Nancy was an active member of the Delta Gamma Fraternity (sorority) as her mother had been decades earlier. During the summers, she worked for her father's wholesale foods supply business, the H.B. Gregory Company, in Milwaukee. Following graduation from college in 1956, Nancy was hired by the Delta Gamma Central Office in Columbus, Ohio as Editor of the Anchora Magazine which is the sorority's national publication. While living in Columbus, she met her future husband Theodore (Ted) Karmazin during a weekend vacation at Cedar Point where Ted had traveled by boat from Grosse Ile. After long distance dating for a period of years, the couple married in 1961, and made their new home together on Grosse Ile. Nancy and her husband lived together on Grosse Ile in the same house along the Detroit River for more than 55 years. She led an active lifestyle that included boating, tennis and gardening in her early years of marriage. They had one child, Gregory T. Karmazin, born in 1965. Nancy immersed herself in community and social activities on Grosse Ile, and volunteered for, or maintained membership in, a number of non-profit organizations. She served as a board member and officer of the Grosse Ile Historical Society, and volunteered with the organization for nearly 30 years. During this time period, she researched and wrote about Grosse Ile history, and assisted in the operations of the museum. Nancy was an early board member and officer of the Grosse Ile Nature & Land Conservancy. She was a longtime member of the Grosse Ile Musicale and Grosse Ile Book Club which were founded by her mother-in-law Rose Marie Karmazin. Nancy was also a longtime member of the Grosse Ile Golf & Country Club. She was engaged in civic affairs. Nancy was a long serving member of the Grosse Ile Township Island Beautification Committee/Entryway Committee, and served on the Grosse Ile Township Library Committee during its existence in the 1990s. She was involved in numerous local political campaigns from the 1960s through the 1990s, and prided herself as being an independent late in life. Nancy had a strong sense of faith as a longtime member of the Grosse Ile Sacred Heart Catholic Church where she served for a period of time on the Parish Council and taught Catechism. During the 1980s and 1990s, Nancy worked as a secretary for her husband's manufacturers' representative business, T.K. & Associates, Inc. which supplied the heavy machinery and auto industries. In addition, she returned to her career passion of journalism writing feature columns about local history, wildlife and other topics for the Ile Camera newspaper. Nancy was especially proud of her Ile Camera newspaper column "Who's Who in the Woodlands & Wetlands" which profiled birds, mammals and fish found on Grosse Ile or in its waterways. She was an ardent supporter of nature conservation and environmental protection. Nancy is survived in the Karmazin family by her son Greg (Nicole) Karmazin; sister-in-law Sandra Karmazin (wife of the late John Karmazin, Jr.); and niece Anne Marie (Richard) Schoonhoven. In the Gregory family, Nancy is survived by her brother Thomas (Sue) Gregory; nephews Jens (Rebecca) Gregory, Kelvin (Heather) Gregory, Ted (Tirzah) Gregory, Daniel (Connie, deceased) Cowan, and Patrick (Justine) Cowan; nieces Jennie (Paul) Waters and Meg Cowan. Nancy was preceded in death by her husband Ted Karmazin; parents James Henry Gregory and Nancy Josephine Gregory; sister Hilary Cowan and brother-in-law John Cowan; niece Julie Kay Karmazin; father-in-law John Karmazin, Sr. and mother-in-law Rose Marie Karmazin. A memorial funeral service and interment for Nancy will be held at the Grosse Ile Sacred Heart Catholic Church during a future date when public health conditions are safe for gatherings. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Grosse Ile Historical Society, P.O. Box 131, Grosse Ile, MI 48138